Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!
After scourging and mocking with thorns and a purple robe, Jesus is led out and set before priests, rulers and people. Pilate's call to behold Him is a solemn plea for pity to persuade them He has suffered enough, joined to his public witness that he finds no fault in Him. Bloodied, wounded and weary, He stands without guilt or fear in calm dignity, pity and patient endurance rather than weakness, in stark contrast to the hardened criminal Barabbas set beside Him. The plea is refused by a pitiless cry for crucifixion from those whose hatred will not yield even under conviction, so Pilate surrenders Him to be crucified to save his own place while still declaring Him faultless. The scene shows God veiled in humanity exchanging royal crown and robe of glory for mockery as the man of sorrows, wounded for human transgressions and bruised for human iniquities that people may be healed. Though He could summon heaven and flash forth divine majesty, He submits without retaliation to shame and death to keep perfect allegiance, disprove the claim that God's law cannot be kept, and strengthen suffering believers to overcome by His blood and follow His serving example.
Pilate Presents Jesus Scourged
After the scourging and the soldiers' mocking with a thorny crown and a purple robe of derision, Jesus was led out and set before the priests, rulers, and people. The scourged prisoner thus stood exposed in the emblems of mock royalty as Pilate called the multitude to look upon him.
That call to look was a solemn plea intended to awaken pity, to convince the crowd that He had suffered enough, and to satisfy their demand for punishment. With it Pilate publicly declared again and again that he found no fault in Him.
Though bloodied, wounded, and exhausted, Jesus bore no mark of guilt or fear but calm dignity, gentleness, resignation, and pity for His enemies. His bearing was long-suffering strength and patient endurance, not weakness or cowardice. That composure made a favorable impression on Pilate and impressed even the soldiers who had abused Him, showing He was no dangerous criminal and had not lost His kingly bearing under suffering.
Beside Him stood Barabbas, a hardened and debased criminal, a robber and murderer. Against that hardened appearance the innocence, noble character, and suffering patience of Jesus stood in stark contrast. The contrast moved some spectators to sympathy.
The appeal was rejected, for the crowd felt no pity but cried out for crucifixion. Even priests and rulers who were convicted that He was who He claimed to be refused to yield, and Pilate had failed to reckon with a hatred that had no room for pity because His light exposed their darkness and error. Pilate then told them to take Him and crucify Him while still declaring Him faultless, surrendering Him to be derided and crucified to save his own office and releasing Barabbas at their demand.
The scene belongs to the trial and humiliation before the crucifixion, with what followed set on the way from Pilate's hall to Calvary. It was one phase of a public, point-after-point exposure appointed by God and witnessed by a large company, ordered to take place at the Passover.
What the Humiliation Accomplishes
The scene shows One who came from the heavenly courts as God veiled in humanity, the One to whom the Jewish sacrifices pointed and the foundation of the Jewish economy. He exchanged His royal crown and robe of majesty and glory to wear mockery, a crown of thorns and a cast-off purple robe, as the man of sorrows. He was wounded for human transgressions and bruised for human iniquities, and through His suffering people are healed and may be saved. His being brought forth thus was one phase of humiliation in a public, point-after-point exposure appointed by God and witnessed by a large company, an intense suffering in a shameful crowning scene ordered to take place at the Passover. There He who was betrayed, forsaken, denied, scorned as a deceiver, given a mock trial and declared by Pilate to have no fault, was yet condemned as innocent to death and rejected by satanic and human agency in favor of a robber and Caesar.
Though by a command He could bring the heavenly hosts to His aid and drive the mob in terror from His sight by the flashing forth of His divine majesty, He submitted with perfect calmness to the coarsest insults and outrage. Satan stood at the head of those reviling and crucifying Him and led the cruel mob in abuse of the Saviour to provoke Him to retaliation if possible or to drive Him to perform a miracle to release Himself and break up the plan of salvation. From the manger to the cross He lived a sinless life and never once swerved from allegiance to His Father, keeping Himself the perfect Lamb without stain so that one stain would not make the redemption of man a failure. By enduring this open shame and by His cruel death of shame on the cross of Calvary He proved false Satan's assertion that the law of God could not be kept. By His death He proved false Satan's charges against God and vindicated God in the sight of the angels in heaven as One willing to make in man's behalf the greatest sacrifice that could be made. Pilate brought Him, humiliated, mocked and condemned, before the maddened throng and declared he found no fault in Christ, yet delivered Him into the hands of those demanding His death and called for the release of Barabbas, a robber and murderer.
The reversal from being hailed as king to being condemned, mocked and reviled, with the crowd crying for His death, had been prepared for beforehand. It was made known so that the crowd's fickleness and the apparent defeat of their hopes would not take faithful disciples by surprise nor make them abandon their faith. As part of the account of Christ's suffering and death, the scene of Jesus brought before the people after being scourged strengthens believers who suffer for their faith. His death enables His followers to keep the faith, and those who hold fast receive His righteousness. Pilate publicly declared before scornful accusers that he found no fault in Jesus, yet gave Him up to be derided and crucified to save his own office, letting Christ Jesus the Son of the living God have spikes driven through His hands and through His feet and hang upon the cruel cross, and this account of how Jesus was in the world and suffered is to be borne to those in the world as the word of testimony by which impurity and sin are overcome by the blood of the Lamb. He is presented, crowned with thorns and wearing a purple robe, as the Man to behold, the Man of Calvary who lived for others and came to serve, and following His example leads others in the way of righteousness.
After scourging and mocking with thorns and a purple robe, Jesus is led out and set before priests, rulers and people. Pilate's call to behold Him is a solemn plea for pity to persuade them He has suffered enough, joined to his public witness that he finds no fault in Him. Bloodied, wounded and weary, He stands without guilt or fear in calm dignity, pity and patient endurance rather than weakness, in stark contrast to the hardened criminal Barabbas set beside Him. The plea is refused by a pitiless cry for crucifixion from those whose hatred will not yield even under conviction, so Pilate surrenders Him to be crucified to save his own place while still declaring Him faultless. The scene shows God veiled in humanity exchanging royal crown and robe of glory for mockery as the man of sorrows, wounded for human transgressions and bruised for human iniquities that people may be healed. Though He could summon heaven and flash forth divine majesty, He submits without retaliation to shame and death to keep perfect allegiance, disprove the claim that God's law cannot be kept, and strengthen suffering believers to overcome by His blood and follow His serving example.
Pilate Presents Jesus Scourged
After the scourging and the soldiers' mocking with a thorny crown and a purple robe of derision, Jesus was led out and set before the priests, rulers, and people. The scourged prisoner thus stood exposed in the emblems of mock royalty as Pilate called the multitude to look upon him.
That call to look was a solemn plea intended to awaken pity, to convince the crowd that He had suffered enough, and to satisfy their demand for punishment. With it Pilate publicly declared again and again that he found no fault in Him.
Though bloodied, wounded, and exhausted, Jesus bore no mark of guilt or fear but calm dignity, gentleness, resignation, and pity for His enemies. His bearing was long-suffering strength and patient endurance, not weakness or cowardice. That composure made a favorable impression on Pilate and impressed even the soldiers who had abused Him, showing He was no dangerous criminal and had not lost His kingly bearing under suffering.
Beside Him stood Barabbas, a hardened and debased criminal, a robber and murderer. Against that hardened appearance the innocence, noble character, and suffering patience of Jesus stood in stark contrast. The contrast moved some spectators to sympathy.
The appeal was rejected, for the crowd felt no pity but cried out for crucifixion. Even priests and rulers who were convicted that He was who He claimed to be refused to yield, and Pilate had failed to reckon with a hatred that had no room for pity because His light exposed their darkness and error. Pilate then told them to take Him and crucify Him while still declaring Him faultless, surrendering Him to be derided and crucified to save his own office and releasing Barabbas at their demand.
The scene belongs to the trial and humiliation before the crucifixion, with what followed set on the way from Pilate's hall to Calvary. It was one phase of a public, point-after-point exposure appointed by God and witnessed by a large company, ordered to take place at the Passover.
What the Humiliation Accomplishes
The scene shows One who came from the heavenly courts as God veiled in humanity, the One to whom the Jewish sacrifices pointed and the foundation of the Jewish economy. He exchanged His royal crown and robe of majesty and glory to wear mockery, a crown of thorns and a cast-off purple robe, as the man of sorrows. He was wounded for human transgressions and bruised for human iniquities, and through His suffering people are healed and may be saved. His being brought forth thus was one phase of humiliation in a public, point-after-point exposure appointed by God and witnessed by a large company, an intense suffering in a shameful crowning scene ordered to take place at the Passover. There He who was betrayed, forsaken, denied, scorned as a deceiver, given a mock trial and declared by Pilate to have no fault, was yet condemned as innocent to death and rejected by satanic and human agency in favor of a robber and Caesar.
Though by a command He could bring the heavenly hosts to His aid and drive the mob in terror from His sight by the flashing forth of His divine majesty, He submitted with perfect calmness to the coarsest insults and outrage. Satan stood at the head of those reviling and crucifying Him and led the cruel mob in abuse of the Saviour to provoke Him to retaliation if possible or to drive Him to perform a miracle to release Himself and break up the plan of salvation. From the manger to the cross He lived a sinless life and never once swerved from allegiance to His Father, keeping Himself the perfect Lamb without stain so that one stain would not make the redemption of man a failure. By enduring this open shame and by His cruel death of shame on the cross of Calvary He proved false Satan's assertion that the law of God could not be kept. By His death He proved false Satan's charges against God and vindicated God in the sight of the angels in heaven as One willing to make in man's behalf the greatest sacrifice that could be made. Pilate brought Him, humiliated, mocked and condemned, before the maddened throng and declared he found no fault in Christ, yet delivered Him into the hands of those demanding His death and called for the release of Barabbas, a robber and murderer.
The reversal from being hailed as king to being condemned, mocked and reviled, with the crowd crying for His death, had been prepared for beforehand. It was made known so that the crowd's fickleness and the apparent defeat of their hopes would not take faithful disciples by surprise nor make them abandon their faith. As part of the account of Christ's suffering and death, the scene of Jesus brought before the people after being scourged strengthens believers who suffer for their faith. His death enables His followers to keep the faith, and those who hold fast receive His righteousness. Pilate publicly declared before scornful accusers that he found no fault in Jesus, yet gave Him up to be derided and crucified to save his own office, letting Christ Jesus the Son of the living God have spikes driven through His hands and through His feet and hang upon the cruel cross, and this account of how Jesus was in the world and suffered is to be borne to those in the world as the word of testimony by which impurity and sin are overcome by the blood of the Lamb. He is presented, crowned with thorns and wearing a purple robe, as the Man to behold, the Man of Calvary who lived for others and came to serve, and following His example leads others in the way of righteousness.